At the center of The Blacklistseason 5 episode 8 is going to be one thing: A search for Tom Keen. Ryan Eggold’s character is missing in action from the onset of the installment and it’s up to Liz in order to find him.

The sneak peek below of the fall finale reveals that she is not going to get all the answers she is looking for — instead, it’s just going to send a massive chill down her spine in terms of what could be happening to her husband. The violence that she and Ressler see out on the scene is something that spells potential doom for Tom and it’s a painful sight to see. This is different from the standard Blacklist murder investigation, especially in terms of visuals. While this is a world where characters do often die, it does not transpire in a tableau that is anywhere near this violent or horrific.

As grisly as this scene is — and it is really grisly — this is a reminder of just how difficult this job in the FBI can be. We often become desensitized to it because of how many crime shows we watch and how heroic the main characters are, but there is nothing about seeing dead bodies over and over that is something that we should become desensitized to (and we say this as someone who is a licensed funeral director and has seen their fair share of dead bodies). It’s all the worse for Liz right now because she is concerned about one of these bodies being Tom’s. He may get some more answers regarding the bones in this episode, but it is also very well possible that he does not end up living to be able to pass some of this information along to Liz.

The writers are laying down the gauntlet with this story and with the relationship that exists between Liz, Reddington, and Tom. While Reddington and Tom have never been on the same page per se, they have found a way to keep things together for the sake of Liz. With one of Reddington’s biggest secrets threatened, this could be where he bites back. If Tom dies, he has to find a way to spin this to where he doesn’t lose Liz in the process. That could be a near-impossible challenge; Liz is smart, resourceful, and she will eventually be able to figure out that something is terribly amiss and that Reddington probably knows more then he’s letting on.

One of the things that you should know is that this episode of The Blacklist is going to resolve Tom’s fate (the flash forward from the premiere) one way or another. While there could be a cliffhanger, it’s not going to be related to whether or not the character dies.

What do you want to see on The Blacklist season 5 episode 8?

Be sure to sound off with some of your personal expectations in the comments! Meanwhile, be sure to also check out the link here for additional news on the show’s upcoming 100th episode!

For even more news on The Blacklist, plus many other shows we cover at CarterMatt, be sure to like us on Facebook. (Photo: NBC.)